a category for cloth to be used as wrapping for the transport of other goods (Veenhof
1972 ).
CONCLUSIONFuture archaeological investigations will continue to add new textile evidence for
Babylonian textile technique, through careful and refined recovery of textile fragments,
and careful study of ceramic and plaster impressions and other types of direct
archaeological textile evidence. Indeed, the excavations at Ur in the 1920 s and 1930 s
produced an abundance of perishable remains. Though the region that was Mesopotamia
has reputedly very poor preservation conditions for this type of material, with care
and a bit of good fortune, indeed, there does come important evidence of this kind
to light, as evidenced at Ur, and in the north at Abu Salabikh (Figure 9. 6 ).^2 In Iran
textiles have been recovered from sites in the Solduz Valley and in Kirman, and
further east in the desert sands of Seistan. When we don’t think they will be there,
we don’t see them when they are there.
Cloth and textiles are central to society and, therefore, their archaeological remnants
should be sought and recognized for their informational value. Although the recovery
of clothing in archaeological contexts is rare, it does occur. When well preserved and
from good context, archaeological textiles hold a rich store of information on a wide
array of topics.
— Irene Good —Figure 9. 6 Close-up of textile pseudomorph from Abu Salabikh
(photo: courtesy of J.N. Postgate)